Yoon vows efforts to protect Korean Americans from hate crimes

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a meeting with overseas Koreans residing in New York at a hotel in the U.S. city, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol promised to step up efforts to prevent hate crimes against Korean Americans, adding that he expects a bill aiming to establish a ministry for overseas Koreans will be passed by the National Assembly.

During a meeting with overseas Koreans in New York, Tuesday (local time), Yoon promised that the South Korean government will double its efforts to support the overseas Korean community.

"The (South Korean) government will spare no efforts to protect Koreans from hate crimes and discrimination," Yoon said. "Also, the government will ask U.S. authorities to pay greater attention to improve the rights, interests and safety of overseas Koreans here."

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with participants during a meeting with overseas Koreans residing in New York at a hotel in the U.S. city, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

Yoon's comments came amid a recent increase in hate crimes committed against Asians in the U.S. in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. In March of last year, four women of Korean descent died in a shooting spree that occurred at three spas or massage parlors in the Atlanta area.

In a July report by U.S.-based civic group, Stop AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) Hate, 11,467 hate incidents were reported to the group since March 2020, and 1,835 incidents targeted Koreans. Although the report said the majority of the reported incidents were not hate crimes, a "meaningful percentage of hate incidents are hate crimes."

Against this backdrop, calls for the establishment of a government entity in charge of matters related to overseas Koreans have gained fresh attention in Korea, and Yoon included this project as one of his campaign pledges.

"The idea of setting up a new ministry for overseas Koreans was my campaign pledge, but it was also that of the (main opposition) Democratic Party of Korea," Yoon was quoted as saying during the meeting. "I hope a bill on the ministry will be passed during this plenary session of the National Assembly."

According to Rep. Kim Seok-ki of the ruling People Power Party, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to submit a revision to the government organization laws in the near future, which provides legal grounds for new ministries of overseas Koreans, immigration and tourism.

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres before their meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

Before the meeting with overseas Koreans residing in New York, and just before his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Yoon met with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and urged North Korea to "open its closed door and make a better choice" in regards to the regime's attempt to build its nuclear weapons capabilities.

According to senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Eun-hye, Yoon expressed his gratitude for the secretary general's support for South Korea's efforts toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea and achieving sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He continued that if the North opens its doors and makes a better choice, the South Korean government, international organizations and Northeast Asia as a whole will not spare financial assistance to the North, including large-scale investments.

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers his keynote speech at the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

During his speech at the U.N. General Assembly, which took place early Tuesday, Yoon did not mention North Korea and the Kim Jong-un regime's nuclear ambitions, although he indirectly said, "Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction pose increasing threats to humanity."

This comment was interpreted as reflecting the current deadlock in efforts to denuclearize the North. Last month, Yoon revealed the backbone of his North Korea policy, dubbed the "audacious initiative," in which Seoul would offer large-scale economic and technical support to Pyongyang if Kim takes steps towards denuclearization.

However, the North rejected the idea, with Kim commenting on Sept. 8 that his regime will "never give up" its nuclear program, while enshrining into law the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself.

Such a hostile response was also seen during Yoon's U.N. outing, as North Korean representatives to the U.N. were absent during his speech.

"In the current situation, there was nothing to add or exclude from the already announced audacious initiative," a senior official at the presidential office said of Yoon's U.N. speech.

During his speech, Yoon also stressed the value of coalitions to defend freedom and peace, as well as pledging Korea's enhanced role in promoting peace and prosperity around the world.

"Today, the global community is yet again witnessing freedom and peace of its citizens put in jeopardy," Yoon said. "The crisis confronting us will only be resolved when we stand firmly in solidarity to share the universal value of freedom and work together to uphold and spread our freedom."

Yoon continued that South Korea has scaled up its official development assistance budget to "achieve a more inclusive development globally" and the country will continue sharing its experience and technologies with other countries.